From Shelter to Home
The Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) implemented the Quality Housing Reform in 2000. One of the important changes was adopting non-standardised design for public housing instead of standardised design, so as to introduce more people-oriented and site-specific design concepts. For buildings newly completed in those years, such as Yau Lai Estate, emphasis was placed on microclimate studies with more greening and sustainable development elements. For old buildings such as So Uk Estate, comprehensive redevelopment was carried out, and the new So Uk Estate has transformed into a modern housing estate attaching importance to both development and conservation. Besides, for the design and operation of Domain, the large shopping centre in Yau Tong, apart from commercial operations, the provision of community facilities was also considered important in motivating community participation. In 2023, HA leveraged on its experiences accumulated over the years, and conducted Residents Surveys in a number of housing estates. The Well-being Design Guide has been formulated for public housing construction in the future, so that apart from the quantity, speed and efficiency of public housing supply, the quality of public housing development will also be enhanced to continue creating better living environment for the residents.
